Q&A with Anna Pedersen: Balancing studies with a professional football career

Posted on: 19 August 2025 in Where are they now?

Person in a football ground

Class of 2024 graduate Anna Pedersen, is proving you can excel in your studies whilst pursuing a professional football career, having recently signed to Charlton in Women's Super League 2 (WSL2). During her Accounting and Finance degree, Anna overcame challenges including remote learning, an ACL injury, and the pressures of elite sport. She shares how resilience and support from the University helped her succeed both on the pitch and in the classroom. 

Reflecting on your time at the University, what did you enjoy most about being a student?

My time at the University wasn’t the typical student lifestyle. During my first year, I lived in student accommodation whilst playing for Everton U21s and training with the first team, but this year was affected by COVID and so all my lectures ended up being online and I never actually got to meet anyone from my course in person. I made some great friends from my halls, and I still meet up with a couple of them regularly. During the summer before starting second year, I signed my first professional contract at 19 for London City Lionesses and so moved to London. The Management School and the Elite Athlete Scheme at the university were so helpful and understanding of my circumstances and allowed me to keep completing my degree online, which I was and still am extremely grateful and appreciative for.

You studied Accounting and Finance - what drew you to that course, and how do you think it has shaped your way of thinking?

I was actually choosing between Physiotherapy and Accounting and Finance. I’ve always been drawn to maths and found it came quite naturally to me at school, and I’ve always been interested in businesses and how they’re run. I’m also very logical, which - all of these factors together - led me to choosing this degree. I took a football finance module which really tied my two worlds together which I really enjoyed and opened my eyes to the finance world of football, and which sounds like something I would like to fall into after my football career.

What were some of the key skills you developed during your degree?

With studying remotely for the majority of my degree it definitely improved my communication skills, from being quite shy to knowing I just needed to bite the bullet and put myself out there to jump on calls if needed. My confidence because of this has also greatly improved. As part of one of my modules, having to present in person to a group of students I’d never really met was definitely out of my comfort zone. This has really helped as an athlete when moving teams and just being able to go into new situations and be confident.

Balancing your studies with a professional football career at London City Lionesses must have been incredibly demanding - how did you manage your time and stay motivated?

Honestly, it was hard. At times I did fall slightly behind, but the most important part was to just stay organised and be open with your lecturers. I would arrange a call with my lecturers at the start of each module just to introduce myself and make them aware of what I do and my unique situation. Each week I would write down what I needed to do and plan my schedule around training to complete work or watch material. Just like being on campus and having scheduled lectures I would try and follow a similar structure but just to the times that suited me. I also spoke to the university and split my final year to study part-time for two years to finish my degree. This really helped by reducing the workload so I could perform to a higher standard in my studies and on the pitch. My manager at the time was also super supportive of what I was trying to do and allowed me days off from training if I had to be in Liverpool to sit an exam, for example. I always knew I wanted to play football professionally but also knew I wanted to complete and have a degree so having that as my goal throughout and on days when I really didn’t feel like opening my laptop after training, I would just remind myself that future Anna would be grateful.

You suffered an ACL injury while still a student. What did that period teach you about yourself, particularly in terms of resilience? 

This was one of my hardest years and meant a full year away from the sport I love. Having my degree to complete at the same time was so helpful and good for me. It meant I had another focus alongside the daily rehab, I had something else to keep my mind busy. This is always helpful, or you can get really caught up on the end goal of being back playing - and with usually 9 months to get through that can start to weigh a little heavy. This injury also meant I had to move back home which then did allow me to commute to Liverpool and after 3 years of remote studying I could finally attend some in person lectures. This period of time taught me a lot about myself and the internal discipline and motivation to get up each day and get to the gym and my physio appointments. It really has changed my mind set about everything and I don’t think I’ll ever take playing football for granted ever again. 

You've already achieved a lot including an England U18 cap and making your professional debut as a goalkeeper with Rugby Borough WFC last year. What moment are you most proud of so far?

Definitely my England cap vs USA - that will always be one of my proudest moments - and signing my first professional contract at 19. But I am most proud of getting back and returning to play football professionally after a year of being left without a club and 9–12-month injury to try and navigate my own way through.

Person in a football ground

Looking ahead, what are your goals for the future?

My goals for the future are to continue to play football and really see how far my career can take me! And once I’ve had a hopefully successful and long career to find something within the football world where I can utilise my Accounting and Finance degree.

Finally, what advice would you give to current students who are trying to balance competitive sport with their studies, or to graduates hoping to follow a similar path into professional sport?

Be as open and honest as you can be with your tutors, they really do want the best for you and will try and help in any way they can! Make yourself known to them too, even if you think “oh yeah, the university know what I do” - they have so many students to think of. If you go out of your way and make that initial contact, it will help build a relationship and make your life at lot easier when balancing your studies and sport. During sport seasons, there will naturally be less free time, so try and utilise any international breaks or quieter times to get ahead or catch up. Stay organised and keep believing in the end goal!

A huge thank you to Anna for sharing her career journey with us. Feeling inspired to share your own story or get involved? There are plenty of ways to stay connected:

 

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